An Android Wear smartwatch for early adopters who can't wait for Moto 360

Our Verdict

Samsung claims another world's first with its Android Wear smartwatch debut, tied as usual with LG. On the outside, Gear Live is almost exactly like its previous watches, but the Google software on the inside makes worth the time of early adopters.

Face it, your smartphone is getting bigger whether you like it or not, and Samsung's popular, but ridiculously sized, phablets are chief among the super-sized phones.

For this very reason, the Samsung Gear Live feels increasingly relevant. Its Google-powered Android Wear software safely relocates our notification-checking addiction to the wrist.

There's no need to fumble around with that 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3 screen to see why the device just vibrated.

The smartwatch has the answer too. A simple flick of the wrist solves the notification mystery and keeps your easily breakable and losable smartphone in your pocket more often.

Put that giant smartphone back in your pocket!

It should be noted that this isn't a smartphone-eliminating device. There's no SIM card and you can't make calls directly from the watch, surf the web or kill time on YouTube. Some of these functions are coming to the newly announced Samsung Gear S, a standalone curved smartwatch.